Panel convened to examine Bergen County law enforcement consolidation to release its findings

S.P. Sullivan, NJ.comA former internal affairs officer has filed a $3 million suit against the Bergen County Police Department.

HACKENSACK — A panel convened to examine recommendations from a 2011 study on law enforcement consolidation in Bergen County will detail their findings in a report released Tuesday, county officials said.

The county paid more than $600,000 to consulting group Guidepost Solutions to examine whether and how to consolidate its three law enforcement agencies, and its findings suggested varying levels of reduction of the Bergen County Police Department.

In its introductory pages, the Guidepost report distills its recommendations into three scenarios:

• Option 1: A reduction in force (“RIF”) for the County Police.

• Option 2: An initial reduction in force for the County Police, followed by a subsequent reduction in force by the County Police and a simultaneous transfer of the remaining personnel and functions, powers, duties and responsibilities of the County Police to the Sheriff’s Office.

• Option 3: An initial reduction in force for the County Police, followed by, at a time certain, elimination of the County Police and transfer of its functions, powers, duties and responsibilities to the Sheriff’s Office with an increase in headcount for that agency to accommodate the increased workload. Read the full report [PDF] »

Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan then formed a committee to examine the findings, lead by John Fletcher Creamer, Jr., a prominent Bergen County contractor.

The group met in private over the course of several months, and so far none of their findings have been disclosed publicly. But the county executive said in a statement that "details about the report and recommendations for action" will be outlined at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

The county Board of Chosen Freeholders, which held budget hearings in February and early March, had delayed hearings on the budgets of county law enforcement agencies until the recommendations were made public.

The county announced on its website that hearings will be held for the Department of Law and Public Safety at 1 p.m. on Thursday, the Sheriff's Department at 9:30 a.m. Friday, and the Prosecutor's Office at 9:30 a.m. Monday.